The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has upheld a permanent injunction that stops the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from enforcing a policy that would have reduced federal funding for medical and public health research at universities and research institutions nationwide. This decision means that critical financial support for biomedical research, including laboratory operations, faculty salaries, infrastructure, and utilities, will continue.
Attorney General Charity Clark announced the ruling. She stated: “The ruling protects critical funds that facilitate biomedical research, like lab, faculty, infrastructure, and utility costs. Without them, the lifesaving and life-changing medical research in which the United States – and Vermont, in particular – has long been a leader, could be compromised.”
The case began on February 10, 2025. Less than six hours after Attorney General Clark and attorneys general from 21 other states filed their lawsuit against the administration’s proposed policy change, a judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order to prevent NIH from cutting research funding. The court later made this injunction permanent. The Trump Administration appealed to the First Circuit but was unsuccessful.
NIH is recognized as the main source of federal funding for medical research in the country. Its grants have supported significant scientific advances such as new cancer treatments and DNA sequencing. Many scientists funded by NIH have received Nobel Prizes for their work.
Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin joined Attorney General Clark in filing the lawsuit.
A copy of the court’s decision can be found on the Vermont Attorney General’s website.
